Finding a place to eat is more difficult than we anticipate, but not for lack of choices. The lingering French-colonial influence and growing Westernization encourage Laotians to move away from local markets into the promise of the restaurant business. Some choose to serve only Western food and seem to suffer because of it. As we explore several appealing cafés, I am bothered by what we find. Though it is not the peak of tourist season, we are still surprised to discover one empty dining area after another on such a beautiful evening. Several times we are greeted with broad smiles from groups of bored hostesses and waiters who seem to pour out of the beautifully ornamented interiors. For one reason or another, after inspecting the menus we move on, leaving the hope-filled establishments as empty as before. 

Laotian families renovate the larger front sections of their homes, transforming them into restaurants in an attempt to draw tourists' money. I empathize with these people, trying so hard in their own homes to imitate foreign food and atmosphere for foreign customers, when that is what many of us are here to escape. Their valiant attempts only amount to serving the occasional Western dish to fickle tourists. I shudder when I realize we are playing the part. Realizing we’re not going to find a stuffed turkey, we return to an open-air Laotian café and the hostess greets us again with a smile as if she knew we’d come back.

The seven of us sit around three bamboo tables, joined together on the porch at the edge of the interior’s warm glow. I open the first bottle of wine discovered earlier in one of the many pharmacy/souvenir shop/restaurants common to the area. Lost on the shelf for years among Asian Ibuprofen tablets, Laos t-shirts and 50’s-style Coke bottles I found the tannin-rich treasure abandoned by some unsuspecting French colonist--?-three bottles of French Bordeaux from 1993. Wine like this comes with a hefty price tag here, so I seized the opportunity and bought the lot for 70,000 kip ($9USD).
 

A glass of wine goes down smoothly in celebration before I muster up the courage to order my appetizer?Tam Mak-Njum ped, a Lao-style papaya salad. Unripe papaya diced with unpeeled prawns and marinated with fish sauce, limejuice, sugar and peanuts could sound frightening or appetizing, depending on where you are from. Feeling adventurous, I order the Lao-style version of this seemingly harmless mix prepared ‘how the locals eat it,’ or ped?meaning spicy. Grind half a dozen fresh red chilies into the mix, sprinkle with concentrated chili oil, and the venture takes on the characteristics of a dish my mother hoped I would never see at Thanksgiving dinner.

Amidst increasingly effusive toasts and multi-lingual banter drifting by from other tables, I find Vermont sneaking back into my head. Warm fires and spiced cider are worlds away though. A floppy-eared mutt with fleas now replaces my graying golden retriever curled faithfully at my feet during every holiday meal. My dinner of fried Mekong fish stares up at me with its one bulging eye and toothy grin. Eating a fish from the river that almost swallowed me, I smile back at it in victory, happy to forgo the turkey this year.

On the Banks of the Mekong
Voted a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, Luang Prabang is well worth the drama it often requires to reach. Travelers wanting to cross from the northeastern Thai border must opt for the two-day longboat journey ($11USD) in order to reach Luang Prabang 110 miles down river, for there are no direct roads. Tourists wanting to forgo the Mekong trip will have to travel north from the Laos capital of Vientiane by bus ($6USD)?a more civilized option, but don’t expect to get any sleep on them. Or, there is the sawngthaew, a pickup truck-turned-taxi, for more harrowing local trips. If you fail to convince yourself the journey is part of the whole experience (which it is), there is an international airport outside of town serviced by Lao Aviation.

Once you’re there
We stayed just outside of town at the comfortable and newly-renovated Ban Lao Guesthouse, near the corner of Thanon Bunkhong and Thanon Latsavong, Luang Prabang, (856-071) 252-078, where decent sized double rooms with mosquito nets run about $10-16USD a night, depending on size and private or shared bath. The hot showers and morning coffee are appreciated in this much cooler mountainous region. Bicycles are available for rent at the front desk and make for a pleasant way of seeing the area’s historic temples. Watch out for the manager’s grinning teenage son?he’s very persistent about sharing his rice wine.

In the middle of the historic temple district is Pa Pai Guesthouse, north of Thanon Phothisalat opposite Wat Pa Pai, phone and fax (856-071) 212-752. Rooms in the historic French colonial house are cheap, divided by bamboo-thatched walls where doubles with shared baths are a mere $6USD. Though far from plush, the guesthouse is out on the peninsula that divides the Mekong from the Nam Khan River and daily life along the river makes for an intriguing walk after breakfast.

Where to eat
Thanksgiving dinner was celebrated at Le Saladier, Thanon Phothisalat, where a wide variety of Laotian and French food is available. Fried Mekong fish ($2-3USD, depending on size) is surprisingly good, and watch out for the chilies if you order the papaya salad ($1.50USD). Tables set on an outside veranda a few steps up from the street make a nice spot for people watching. Keep an eye on the waitresses also?they tried to drag me to the local discotheque every night I walked by their restaurant.

 The Luang Prabang Bakery, also on Thanon Phothisalat, makes excellent European pastries ($.50-1.50USD), has egg sandwiches on baguettes, and carries an assortment of other tasty snacks at decent prices.

For authentic Laotian cuisine, try Malee Lao Food, on Thanon Phu Wao, where the local Tom Ponh is an excellent choice. The creamy purée of eggplant and fish is poured over roast water buffalo or deer, topped with red chilies, green onion and mint ($2.50USD). To satisfy particular tastes, order the Laotian noodle soup ($1USD) and add an array of your own ingredients including chopped chilies and mint, cabbage, fish sauce and shrimp paste. 

What to do
The central marketplace, Talat Dala, located at the intersection of Thanon Kitsalat and Thanon Latsavong, features local handicrafts, and a wide variety of local foods and textiles. Plan on bargaining if you want reasonable prices.

More than 60 Buddhist wats are spread throughout Luang Prabang and most are accessible from the town center by foot. One of the more ornate temples is Wat Xieng Thong, occupied by Laotian royalty until 1975, located just off Thanon Khaem Khong near the northern tip of the peninsula. 

Roughly 18 miles south of town is Kuang Si Falls, reachable via sawngthaew. The multi-level waterfall cascades over limestone cliffs into refreshing aqua-colored pools. Dotting the surrounding area is an immense cave system requiring a flashlight, descent shoes and a certain amount of coordination.

**Food, lodging and transportation costs vary in Laos according to the time of year, and a steady rise in prices may have influenced some areas, while others may have gone out of business.**

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